The%20Philippine%20Civil%20Society%20Organizations:%20Its%20Participation%20in%20the%20Implementation%20of%20ODA%20Funded%20Projects%20and%20Practices%20Promoting%20Accountability

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The Philippine Civil Society Organizations Its
Participation in the Implementation of ODA Funded
Projects and Practices Promoting Accountability
Prepared for the Central Asia, Southeast Asia,
and the Pacific Regional Workshop on CSOs and Aid
Effectiveness Hanoi, Vietnam October 9-12,
2007 Macario T. Jusayan macjusayan_at_yahoo.com
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• My presentation has two parts.
• CSOs' participation in implementing ODA funded
  projects and
• CSOs' initiatives and practices in promoting
  accountability.

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• ODA in the Philippines
• Japan remains the largest source of ODA in the
  Philippines with aid amounting to US 372 million
  in 2002.
• It is to be noted though, that there has been
  increasing criticisms of Japanese ODA,
• as a mechanism to expand trade and investment
  opportunities for Japanese corporations and
• a strategy to impose policy conditionalities on
  recipient countries.

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• Trade and investments ties between Philippines
  and Japan - the latter is obviously in the most
  advantageous and dominant position
• terms of trade are unequivocally in favor of
  Japan, with Japan earning trade surplus out of
  its exports of high value commodities to the
  Philippines
• investments highly placed in strategic areas and
  sectors complementing and enhancing its global
  competitiveness in the industrial sector.

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• CSOs' Participation in Implementing ODA Funded
  Projects
• In the Philippine, CSOs' initiatives to engage
  government in ODA implementation took a long
  process of struggles and sacrifices.

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• During Marcos era in late 70s to the 80s
• ODA was not a major issue
• The issues human rights, peace and justice, and
  freedom from dictatorship.

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• We know that there are other organizations who
  called themselves alternative groups who fight
  against the dictatorship.
• militant leftist groups
• NDF, CCP
• Other extremist groups
• MILF, MNLF.

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• NGOs were born as alternative groups to fight
  poverty in the countryside
• providing basic services to the people in the
  remote areas where services supposedly the
  government should deliver were wanting.

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• The Post EDSA Peoples' Power Revolution
• Enabling environment
• Two sides
• Government initiatives
• CSOs initiatives

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Changes in Policy environment

• New constitution in 1987
• Structural changes giving recognition to CSOs
• Conservation of nature
• Party list representation in Congress
• Reorganization of National Agricultural and
  Fishery Council CSOs representation in the
  council and different committees (food crops,
  aquaculture and fishery, etc)?
• Creation of National Anti Poverty Commission
  sectoral representation (farmers, fisherfolks,
  urban poor, women, youth)?

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• Social Environment Partnership and
  collaboration with international NGOs (with US
  NGOs)
• Debt for nature swap
• US congress appropriated 25 million for
  endowment for a non-profit foundation as part of
  its 125 million commitment for Natural Resources
  Management Program in the Philippines
• In 1994, WWF turned over to FPE an endowment of
  PhP 569 million.

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Networking and Linkaging among CSOs to engage
government for policy reforms

• Agrarian Reform Now or AR Now an advocacy group
  agrarian reform in the country.
• NGOs for Fisheries Reforms an advocacy group
  fishery sector and coastal resource management
• Campaign against mining advocacy group to stop
  large-scale mining
• Caucus for Development NGOs or CODE NGO a
  network of national and regional networks that
  advocate for good governance and transparency in
  government

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Other network at the regional level in Asia

• AsiaDHRRA a network of DHRRA countries in Asia
  that promotes rural community development.
  Engages the ASEAN to influence FTA in member
  countries
• Asian Farmers Alliance organized by AsiaDHRRA

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CSOs' Emerging Practices for Accountability

• What is accountability?
• Right spending and utilization of resources
  according to what is planned and agreed upon
• Financial management/ system,
• program operations,
• administration, and
• governance,
• monitoring and evaluation
• Doing your mandate as an organization.
• Following the laws of the land

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To whom CSOs are accountable?

• Externally to Partners
• Donors
• Community
• Government
• Co-development workers
• Internally to its
• leadership
• membership
• staff

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Practices Promoting Accountability

• PhilDHRRA Case
• - a national network of 64 NGOs
• - has national board and secretariat
• - 3 regional boards and secretariats one each for
  Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao
• - a member of CODE NGO and AsiaDHRRA
• - serves as Secretariat and project holder for AR
  NOW and Alliance Against Mining

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Promotes accountability to its partners

• Conforming to standards mandated by law
• Observing certain standards as prescribed by
  certifying institution the Philippine Council
  for NGO Certification or PCNC
• Encouraging its member NGOs to undergo PCNC
  evaluation and get certified

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• PCNC - a quasi-government body established
  through the initiative of 6 of the country's
  largest NGO networks in the country
• Association of Foundations
• Bishops Businessmens' Conference for Human
  Development
• Caucus of Development NGO or CODE NGO
• League of Corporate Foundation
• National Council for Sustainable Development
  Foundation
• Philippine Business for Social Progress

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PCNC mission and goals

• To create an environment where NGOs enjoy
  credibility and confidence of its various
  partners.
• To set standards for financial accountability and
  governance
• To provide a mechanism of certification for NGOs
  that meet established minimum criteria for
  greater transparency and accountability
• To build confidence with the donor community in
  the accountability and governance of NGOs and
• To make the NGO certification known, understood,
  and accepted by the non-profit community.

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PhilDHRRA Network Monitoring Tool

• Members regularly comply to update the network on
  their
• On-going programs/ project
• Community and sectors serve
• Contribution to poverty alleviation in the
  community the operate
• Number of farmers provided with capital
• Number of women trained for livelihood
• etc.

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CODE NGO Initiative in promoting good governance
and accountability

• PDAF Watch
• Priority Development Assistance Fund a
  government fund use to provide infrastructure
  projects in the countryside
• It is a fund allocated to each of the
  congressmen/women
• Local government units in the country side submit
  proposal for approval by concerned
  congressman/woman
• Most controversial public fund because of
  corruption

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PDAF Watch Purpose

• To monitor the performance of PDAF funded
  projects
• Proper utilization of funds?
• Proper bidding observed?
• Covered project for monitoring were those that
  were implemented five years ago
• Projects implemented according to plan?

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• The issue of exacting accountability should
  not only be confined to government and CSOs but
  it should be equally a concern by all of us as
  well.
• After all, we are accountable for what we do and
  for not doing what we should do.

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• Maraming Salamat Po Sa Inyong Lahat
• www.phildhrra.org